Apparatus for quenching the teeth of gears



March 21, 1950 H. E. SOMES APPARATUS FOR QUENCHING THE TEETH OF GEARS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Jan. 11, 1945 INVEN TOR.

fil'TORNEY ahww 5 m a E m a m H March 21, 1950 H. E. SOMES APPARATUS FOR QUENCHING THE TEETH 0F GEARS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Jan. 11., 1945 nvvzzvron Howardflomes f7 TTOPNE Y Patented Mar. 21, 1950 APPARATUS FOR QUENCHING THE TEETH OF GEARS Howard E. Somes, Detroit, Mich., assignor, by mesne assignments, to The Ohio Crankshaft Company, Cleveland, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application January 11, 1945, Serial No. 572,315

6 Claims. 1

This invention relates to heat treating apparatus,, particularly to apparatus for quenching the heated surfaces of gear teeth to harden the same.

It is conventional practice in the hardening of gear teeth to merely quench the heated teeth by placing the gear in a bath of quenching fluid or to direct sprays of quenching fluid against the heated teeth. Such practices, particularly the latter, are not conducive of uniform quenching and tend toward distortion of the gear.

It is the object of the present invention to provide improved gear quenching apparatus of such construction as to provide for simultaneous uniform heat extraction from the heated tooth surfaces of the gear being quenched.

Another object is to provide gear quenching apparatus so constructed as to insure a uniform flow of quenching fluid over the tooth surfaces of a gear being quenched.

Another object is to provide a quench head for quenching a heated gear with tooth portions substantially complemental to the teeth of the gear and arranged to provide for simultaneous and uniform quenching of all teeth of the gear.

A further object is to providein apparatus for quenching the teeth of a spiral gear, a quenching fluid-discharge member arranged to be brought into substantially complemental registration with the teeth of the gear.

A still further object is to provide in apparatus for quenching the teeth of a gear, a member substantially complemental to the gear having means for directing separate streams of quenching fluid over the heated faces of each tooth of the gear.

And yet a further object of the invention is the provision of a new and improved gearquenching device comprising a member provided with a plurality of projecting teeth substantially complementary to the teeth of the gear to be quenched and arranged to be registereed with the teeth of the gear in close-spaced relationship therewith to provide a continuous quenching passage therebetween. the member having quenchsupply orifices between each of its teeth adapted to project quenching fluid onto the tip of the gear teeth and each of the teeth of the member having a quench-venting opening for receiving quenching fluid and exhausting same after it has flowed'along the surfaces of the gear teeth from the tip to the root thereof.

Generally speaking, the invention may be comprised in a quench ring adapted to be positioned in coaxial relationship with the gear to be quenched. The quench ring has teeth registered with but spaced from the teeth of the gear. Quench-supply orifices are provided between the teeth of the member for permitting a quench to be directed onto the tips of the gear teeth. The teeth of the member are provided with quenchventing passages for discharging the quench fluid at the roots of the gear tooth. For spiral gears, the quench ring has similarly shaped spiral teeth. The ring and gear are so mounted that they relatively rotate with relative axial movement so that the teeth of each will always be in the desired spaced registration.

With the above and other objects in view which will be apparent from the following description to those skilled in the art to which the invention appertains, the present invention consists in certain features of construction and combinations of parts to be hereinafter described with reference to the accompanying drawings, and then claimed:

In the drawings which illustrate a suitable embodiment of the invention:

Figure 1 is a vertical section of the quenching apparatus;

Figure 2 is a view taken substantially on line 2-2 of Figure 1, but with the gear in registered relation with the quench head;

Figure 3 is an enlarged fragmentary transverse section through the gear and quenching head, showing the passage of the quenching liquid;

Figure 4 is a reduced size section taken substantially On line 44 of Figure 3; and

Figure 5 is a reduced size section taken substantially on line 5--5 of Figure 3.

Briefly, in the practice of the present invention I provide a quenching head having teeth substantially complemental to the teeth of the gear to be quenched, which head and ear are arranged to be brought into registered relation. In this position the profile of the quench head teeth is spaced substantially uniformly from the profile of the gear teeth to provide a quenching passage of substantially uniform depth, and the head is provided with a plurality of narrow discharge orifices extending the full length of the teeth, so that quenching fluid is independently supplied to each tooth of the gear, all teeth being quenched simultaneously.

Referring to the accompanying drawings in which like numerals refer to like parts throughout the several views, the apparatus of the present invention includes a supporting structure I having an annular plate 2 secured to the upper side thereof by screws 3. Mounted on this annular plate and secured thereto by screws 4 is an annular ring having a downwardly opening 3 in the support I and are threaded into the plate 2 to discharge quenching fluid into the channel 6.

The quench head member ID is in the form of an annular ring having shouldered upper and lower end edges I I and I2 respectively (Figure 5). The lower shouldered end edge I2 is seated upon a correspondingly shaped end of an inner annular member I3 which in turn is seated through mating shoulders I4 on the ring 5 and rigidly secured thereto by screws I5. An outer annular 7 member I6 surrounds the member I3 in circumof the outer member I6 is a flanged clamping sleeve is which seats in the upper shouldered portion II of the head Ill. Screws 20, extending through the flange of the sleeve I9 and threaded into the end of the outer member I6, draw the sleeve I 9 downwardly to securely clamp the head Ill in position. Openings 2! are provided in the ring 5 to place the channel 6 in communicationwith the space or passageway 22 between the inner and outer members I3 and I6. The passageway 22 at its upper end extends completely around the member Ill to form an annular fluid passageway therewith.

The quench head I0 is provided on its inner surface with a plurality of spaced teeth 24 which are substantially complementary to the teeth 25 of a gear 26, to be quenched. As shown in the drawings the gear is of the external spiral type and the quench head is arranged to mate with the spiral teeth of the gear. However, it is to be understood that the quench head may have teeth of such shape as to register with the teeth of a spur gear. Also, it is to be understood that the invention is equally as applicable to internal gears by arranging the quench head teeth exterrially instead of internally.

Referring to Figure 3 in particular, it will be seen that the complementary teeth 24 of the quench head Ill are substantially uniformly spaced from the surfaces of the gear teeth 25. The quench head I0 is provided in its outer periphery with a plurality of radially inwardly extending pockets 21 inclining at the same angle as the teeth 24 and, in number, being double that of the teeth-24.

The pockets 21 are arranged in such manner.

that each lies outwardly of one tip edge of a gear tooth 25 and each is'provided with a narrow discharge slot or orifice 28 opening through the quench head wall into the space 29 between a gear tooth 25 and adjacent quench head teeth 24 at the intersection of the faces of the quench head which are complemental to one tooth face and the tooth tip face. Thus, it will be seen that there are two narrow slots 28 opening into each clearance space 23. The pockets 21 and the slots or orifices 28 are both at least as long as the teeth to be quenched so as to cause a thin uniform stream of quench fluid to pass over the teeth. Each of quench head teeth 24 is provided in. its tip face with a through running re cess or opening 30.

During the quenching operation, quenching fluid supplied under pressure through the conduits 8 to the channel 6, flows through the openings 2| and thence upwardly through the annular space 22 between the annular members I3 and I6 where it enters the pockets 21 and flows through the narrow slots 28; at increased velocity into the clearance spaces 29; This quenching fluid completely fills the clearance spaces 29 and flows therethrough at high velocity. The two streams for each tooth, as shown by the arrows in Figure 3, flow over the tooth faces and the root face and exhaust through the recesses 30 into the space within the inner annular'member I3. The used quenching fluid then discharges through openings 3| in the support I. The pockets 21 serve to reduce turbulence of the quenching fluid.

By flowing solid wall-like formations over all tooth surfaces in the manner described, I am enabled to provide for uniform heat extraction from all tooth surfaces and thereby provide for uniformly hardened surface layers of uniform depth.

In order to provide for registration of the gear 26 with the quench head III, the support I which carries the quench member Ill is provided with an annular portion 32 coaxial with the quench head Ill which through clamping ring '33 and the inner circumferential flange therebelow supports a fluid pressure cylinder 34. Arranged within the cylinder 34 is a reciprocable piston 35 having an upwardly extending rod 36 which extends through the upper end of the cyhnder 34 and a downwardly extending rod 31 which extends through the lower end of the cylinder 34, the cylinder 34 being provided with suitable packing glands '38 which cooperate with the rods 36 and 31 in sealed engagement. Suitable fluid pressure conduits 38 and 40 open into the cylinder 34 at opposite sides of the piston 35. QTheseconduitsare connected with a suitable controlled source of fluid pres sure supply (not shown). The rod 36 and related parts on its upper end form a support for the gear 26, and the cylinder 34 with its piston 35 together with the associated fluid supply means forms a motor for moving the gear supporting rod 36 up and down. Admission of fluid through conduit 39 moves the rods 36 and 31 downwardly and through conduit 40 moves the rods upwardly as is well known to those skilled in the art.

The upwardly extending rod 36 is provided with a support 4| which through elements 42 and pin 43 supports the gear 26 to be quenched in predetermined position.

In the case of the spiral gear shown in the drawings, the downwardly extending rod 31 is provided at its lower end with an axial screw member 44, removably secured thereto by a. locking nut 45. The screw member 44 threadably mates with a nut 46 clamped in place in the machine base by a locking plate 41. The pitch of the screw member 44 and nut 46 and the position of the gear 26 on the support 4| are so related to the pitch of the quench head teeth, that when the piston 35 is moved downwardly from the position shown in Figure 1, the piston and rod assembly through the screw member 44 and mating nut 46 is caused to rotate in such direction and rate'that the gear 26 will be brought into exact registration with the complemental teeth of the quench head III.

In the case of a spiral gear having a different pitch, the quench head III, the screw member 44 and nut 46 are replaced by corresponding elements having the proper pitch.

In the case of a spur gear, the quench head III is replaced by a corresponding head having complemental spur teeth and the screw member 44 and nut 46 are replaced by mating splined elements.

While the teeth of the quench head It are shown in the drawings to be truly complementary to the teeth of the gear it is to be understood that the profiles thereof may be varied to any desired gegree to control the application of quenching uid.

The term gear as used, in the claims is to be interpreted as meaning any circumferentially toothed structure, such as for example, gears,

splined members, and the like.

Various changes which will be apparent to those skilled in the art, may be made in the detailed construction and arrangement of the parts described without departing from the spirit and substance of the invention, the scope of which is defined by the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

l. A gear quenching device comprising a member having a circumferential surface provided with a plurality of projecting teeth substantially complementary to the teeth of the gear to be quenched and arranged to be registered with the teeth of the gear in close spaced relation therewith to provide a substantially continuous quenching passage therebetween, said member having at least one discharge orifice between each two adjacent teeth thereof and having therearound a passageway for supplying quenching fluid simultaneously to all of said orifices, each of the teeth of said member having an opening in the tip face thereof, communicating exteriorly of said member, for receiving and venting quenching fluid from said quenching passage.

2. In a gear quenching device, an annular member having on one side a plurality of teeth substantially complemental to the teeth of the gear to be quenched for registration therewith in uniformly spaced relation to provide quenching passages therebetween, said member having on the other side opposite said teeth a plurality of elongated pockets, said member having for each space between a pair of teeth thereof an elongated orifice of a lengthsubstantially at least equal to the length of the gear teeth to be quenched .and opening from one of said pockets into the space between adjacent teeth and to said passages, and means for supplying quenching fluid simultaneously to all of said pockets and orifices.

3. In a device for quenching a spiral gear, a quench discharge head having teeth thereon substantially complemental to the teeth of the gear to be quenched for registration therewith, a support for said head, a second support, means on said second support for fixedly supporting the gear thereon in axial alignment with said head, said supports being relatively axially movable to register the gear with said head, motor means connected with one of said supports for efiecting said relative movement, and co-acting screw means on said supports for effecting relative rotation between said supports to rotatively guide the teeth of said head and gear into registration with each other.

4. In a device for quenching a gear having external teeth, an annular quench discharge head having internal teeth substantially complemental to the teeth of the gear to be quenched for registration therewith, a support for said head, reciprocable rod means co-axially aligned with said head, means on said rod means for fixedly supporting the gear on said rod means in axial alignment with said head, motor means connected with said rod means for moving said rod means toward and away from each head, and co-acting guide elements, one being fixed to said rod means to guide the gear through said rod means into tooth registration with said quench head during said movement.

5. In a device for quenching a gear having external spiral teeth, an annular quench discharge head having internal spiral teeth substantially complemental to the teeth of the gear to be quenched for registration therewith, a support for said head, reciprocable means co-axially aligned with said head and being movable axially thereof, means for securing the gear in predetermined position to said reciprocable means in co-axial alignment with said head, motor means connected with said reciprocable means for moving said reciprocable means to move the gear toward and away from said head, and a pair of interengaged screw elements, one being fixed against rotation and the other fixedly secured to said reciprocable means, to rotate said reciprocable means and rotatively guide the teeth of the gear into registration with the teeth of said quench head.

6. In a gear quenching device, an annular quench member having at one peripheral surface a plurality of teeth corresponding in number and spacing to and being substantially complemental to the teeth of the gear to be quenched for registration therewith in substantially uniformly spaced relation throughout substantially the entire profiles of the teeth of the gear, means forming with the other peripheral face of said member a generally continuous quenching fluid distributing chamber, said member having for each space between the pairs of teeth thereof a slot-like quenching fluid passage communicating with said chamber, said passage being of a length corresponding with the length of the faces of the teeth of the gear, and a longitudinal recess in the tip of each tooth of said member for receiving quenching fluid from the spaces between said each tooth and the adjacent gear tooth faces, said recess being of a length at least as great as the length of the slot-like passages.

HOWARD E. SOMES.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

